Three Irish Tenors and the Gaelic-American Glee Club to sing at Quick Center | Press Releases

Three Irish Tenors, Niall Morris of Dublin, Matthew Gilsenan of County Meath, and James Nelson of Sligo Town, will join Fairfield's Gaelic-American Glee Club and the Pipes and Drums Band on Saturday, March 11, at 8 p.m. in Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. This year, the concert is being presented in conjunction with the Quick Center's six-week, multi-event Irish Arts & Letters Festival and benefits the Father John M. Conlisk Scholarship Fund.

The three tenors have sung together for five years and captivated audiences with their unique Irish charm and repertoire of traditional Irish songs, classical and musical theater favorites. Their first CD and video was released last year. All three have performed leading opera roles throughout Europe and, last summer, appeared in a six-month "Summer Spectacular" at Clontarf Castle Hotel in Dublin.

The tenors will sing with Fairfield's 100-member Gaelic-American Glee Club in a program that also features the Fairfield Gaelic Pipes and Drums Band. This concert marks the fifth consecutive year the glee club has performed at this benefit concert, singing on previous programs with Finbar Wright, John McDermott and Frank Patterson.

Milford's Barbara Mariconda, a professional singer, musician and author of children's books, has led the group since 1995. Both the tenors and the glee club have sung for the former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, at her residence in Dublin.

The Fairfield Gaelic Pipes and Drums Band, a group of 20 pipers and drummers organized just one year ago under the sponsorship of the Gaelic-American Club, will make their second appearance at the scholarship concert. Victor Matthews of Fairfield is the pipe major.

Accompanying the singers are Tom Scanlon on bass, Peter Bellew on accordion, and Don Cavett on the tin whistle. The program includes many new selections such as: "Ever the Wind," "Go and Share," "The Mull of Kin Tyre" and "Loch Lomond."

The Father John M. Conlisk Scholarship Fund began in 1981 when a small group of Irish-Americans living in the greater-Bridgeport area formed a scholarship committee to help Irish-born students attend college in America. The program is dedicated to the memory of Father John Conlisk, a faithful priest who served the church in this area for many years. To date, the committee has awarded 16 scholarships to Irish students, including full room and board.

The 1999-00 recipient of the scholarship award is Ann Cogan of County Kerry who is earning her master's degree in business administration with a concentration in information technology from Fairfield University. Upon graduation from Fairfield, Ann's objective is to return to her native Ireland and become "a successful marketing consultant."

Tickets to the all-Irish benefit concert are $25 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll-free at 1-877-ARTS-396.